Sleeping Beauty and the Slumbering Beast
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Comatose Taichous Byakuya and Kenpachi cross paths in Zaraki's inner world and unknowingly initiate an old ritual the results of which they can't begin to comprehend. Forced together after the quincy war, they start a war of their own as they prepare to become parents to a baby transcendent...Yaoi, mpreg, Kenpachi/Byakuya
1. First Dance

**Sleeping Beauty and the Slumbering Beast**

 **By Spunky0ne**

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 **Just a note: A prior version of this story was removed from my posts some time back due to the need to edit for content. I also decided after the manga went forward to alter the storyline, so some things have changed to suit that alteration. Rukia and Renji still appear awake even though in the manga, they were unconscious. I just thought Rukia and Yachiru were too cute drawing together, so I kept that. Also, Nozarashi (Kenny's zanpakutou spirit was represented as female before, but in the manga, a male shadow was shown, so that has been fixed as well. Finally, I am turning it into a longer love story (This was originally a little ficlet). So, enjoy this new draft of the story! Love you all, Spunky**

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 **Chapter 1: First Dance**

As night had fallen, the lights in the fourth division hallways had been dimmed slightly, and had grown quiet. The only arrivals coming anymore were the dead, who were gathered in a cold room in the basement for eventual identification and removal to their respective families. Only a few scattered family members still waited in the lobby of the building, as most across the Seireitei were forced to focus on the business of seeing to their basic needs after the Sternritter attacks destroyed their homes. Taken into houses that had survived or moved to shelters, the shinigamis who had not been killed in the attacks, huddled together for warmth and watched the dark, clouded skies, praying that they would remain dark.

Within the fourth division, in a darkened room on the second floor, Kuchiki Rukia sat next to Abarai Renji at Kuchiki Byakuya's bedside.

"You should get some sleep," Renji said softly, "You're still recovering, you know."

"So are you, dummy," Rukia said, a slight smile touching her lips for a moment, "You were just as trashed as me, you know."

Renji closed his eyes and swallowed hard, trying not to remember what he had witnessed in the battle. But try as he might, the images assaulted his mind and Byakuya's pained words returned to him.

 _"Ban..."_

 _"STOP!" Byakuya cried, in a desperate tone that Renji had never heard him use before, "You must not let them steal yours as well!"_

Renji felt Rukia's hand on his shoulder and let out a shivering breath.

"It must have been horrible," she whispered, "Seeing him get hurt like that, Renji. I'm...sorry."

"Y-yeah..." Renji managed, blinking a few times, "Well, it's a war. People are gonna get hurt and die in a war, right?"

"Damn straight," said a soft voice from across the room.

Rukia and Renji turned slightly to see where Madarame Ikkaku sat next to the also unresponsive and barely alive body of the eleventh division taichou. On the floor near him, Yachiru knelt under the light of a small lamp, using a set of pastels to make pictures.

"That may be true," Rukia went on, "but after the battles, of course we're going to have to deal with our emotions about what happened."

Ikkaku exchanged glances with the solemn looking Renji, then went on.

"You deal with the emotions when the bad guys are dead and everybody's safe, and not until. And, I think we all know that those guys? Those damned bastard quincies? They're not dead yet. They only lost a few, while we lost thousands. And on top of that, they can come back anytime they want and have at what's left of us. So we'd all best mind what preparations we can make for that and not cry like sissies until the job is finished, one way or another."

"He's right, Rukia," said Renji, shaking his head, "And if Kuchiki taichou was awake, he would tell us to make ourselves prepared for the coming battles."

Rukia sighed.

"But how do we prepare?" she asked in a weary voice, "We have no defenses that can keep them from attacking. They can pass easily through the membrane over the Seireitei. And once they are inside, only taichous and upper seats possess power that can even slow them."

"Then we slow them," said Renji, earning an approving nod from Ikkaku, "until word comes from Kurotsuchi taichou on how to stop them from stealing our bankai. We have to do that before we can hope to do anything besides stall them."

Ikkaku looked down at Kenpachi's slightly frowning sleeping face and then glanced at Yachiru.

"I'm goin' out to go on night patrol," he grunted, "Stay with him, okay?"

Yachiru looked up from the picture she was working on and smiled.

"Sure thing, Baldy!" she said happily.

"Grr, would you stop calling me that?" Ikkaku snapped.

"Shh, you'll mess up Kenny's dreams if you yell like that," the pink-haired girl warned him, "I'll bet he's dreaming about a great battle."

"Yeah, probably," chuckled Renji, scratching the back of his neck and rising.

"Where are you going?" Rukia asked.

"I think I'll go and make the rounds with Ikkaku. Then, I have go back to what's left of the damned division and keep the troops busy so they won't go crazy while we wait, you know?"

A guilty look crossed Rukia's face and she glanced down at Byakuya's lovely, solemn and heavily bandaged sleeping face.

"Hey," said Renji, "You saw the order from Ukitake taichou. He told you that he and the upper seats have the situation at the thirteenth under control for now. He wants you to stay put and heal, got it? You're not in any shape for fighting."

"Yeah?" Rukia replied, still looking somewhat guilty, "Like you look any better."

Renji looked down at Byakuya for a moment, his heart aching. But he stiffened his resolve and forced out the words that he knew his taichou would want him to say.

"He's going to be all right, Rukia. Taichou is strong. He got really messed up out there, but he is going to wake up. And when he does, there's a sternritter out there who's going to learn the true definition of fear when he faces us again."

Rukia smiled briefly, hiding her doubts, and she watched quietly as the two young men left together.

"Rukia-chan, look!" Yachiru said, holding up the picture she had been working on.

Rukia caught her breath and tilted her head slightly, gazing at the scene of destruction in the picture, and the sight of Zaraki taichou, fighting and looking bloodied and battered...but still smiling widely.

"Wow," she said, "that's really good, Yachiru-chan. You are a good artist."

"You should draw with me," Yachiru suggested, indicating several pictures she had made and taped to the wall by Zaraki's bed, "You want Byakushi to have good dreams, ne? You should make some pictures for him."

"Hmmm," Rukia said, looking thoughtful, "Maybe you're right. Nii-sama says that I have good artistic talent. I should put it to use to cheer him when he wakes."

She moved across the room and sat down on the blanket that Yachiru had laid out, accepting a piece of paper from the pink-haired girl. She stared at the blank page for several minutes, thinking carefully.

Then, she began to draw rabbits.

The two worked quietly and diligently at their respective drawings, pausing when they wanted to share their work, or when the healers came to check up on the two injured men in the beds. Byakuya remained still, silent and tragically lovely, his breaths slow and nearly silent. Zaraki was not as pretty, but equally silent and still, until late into the night, when he began to move in his sleep. Rukia and Yachiru looked up as something that sounded like a malevolent snarl sounded from Zaraki's mouth. They looked from him back to each other and giggled.

"He's dreaming about his favorite thing, I'll bet," said Yachiru.

"Oh?" queried Rukia, "And what's that?"

"Chasing Ichi around and beating him senseless," the girl laughed.

"I should have figured," Rukia said, smirking, "He always tries to get Ichigo to fight."

She looked back at Byakuya, who still slept nearly silently.

"I wonder what he dreams about," she mused softly.

She stared blankly at the air in front of her for a few moments, then shook her head in defeat and went back to drawing rabbits.

Unohana taichou entered the room a few minutes later, looked down at the two and the horrific attempts at art they were making, smiled sweetly and moved on to check on the two patients. She bent first over Byakuya, studying his vital signs and checking for any signs of returning consciousness, then shaking her head, sighing softly and ensuring that he seemed comfortable and the machinery around him was functioning.

"You are doing much better," she told the unconscious taichou, "You must rest and gather your strength. We want you to wake up soon, Kuchiki taichou."

Byakuya neither moved nor made a sound.

"Unohana taichou," Rukia said, looking up from her drawing, "is my brother showing any signs of waking?"

"Not yet," admitted the healer, "but he was very badly injured. His body needs more time to heal. His unconsciousness is just his body's way of allowing itself to do that."

"I see," said Rukia, her eyes growing sad again, "Thank you."

"Not to worry," Unohana said bracingly, "Kuchiki taichou has a strong will to live. It helped him survive to this point, and it will help him find his way back to us."

"Erm...yes, you're right, I am sure," Rukia said, although she felt anything but sure.

"Now then," the healer went on, "It seems that Zaraki taichou and Kuchiki taichou are resting comfortably, so the two of you should try to get some sleep as well, while you can."

"But..." the two younger females objected.

"I think," Unohana said, her luminous eyes darkening and her sweet voice becoming softer and gentler, but something in it becoming overwhelming, "that you should definitely get some sleep now while you can."

"Eh...erm, yes ma'am, we will right away!" Rukia said, lying down and pulling down a giggling Yachiru.

Unohana taichou continued to smile and turned off the lights as she left the room. Deprived of their light source, Rukia and Yachiru curled up next to each other on the small mat, an quickly drifted off to sleep. The room was quiet.

Until Zaraki Kenpachi rose up further out of unconsciousness and began to snore.

Used to the sound, Yachiru remained soundly asleep. And being used to when she and Renji had slept near each other growing up, Rukia tuned out the noise and went on dreaming about chasing hopping rabbits. Across the room, the pretty, unconscious Kuchiki taichou winced mentally. Although comatose and unable to connect with his surroundings more directly, he received loudly the rakish sound of what could only be Zaraki Kenpachi's legendary snoring.

 _And I thought Abarai was bad. This man is worse than ten Abarais...no, wait, a hundred!_

He tried to move, but found that although he remained mentally aware to some extent, he seemed unable to connect his mind with his body, something understandable, considering the extent of his injuries.

 _But there must be something I can do. This is intolerable..._

He tried to tune it out, to use the time where he couldn't drift away again to focus on the most important things. He knew he felt Rukia's presence, and that if Renji wasn't there, he had been recently. He registered that although he was sure he had lost a hand at some point, it had been healed. It refused, like the rest of his body, to move, but he was glad to have it, just the same. He wondered whether the enemy was still in the area, though the fact of the wounded being brought to the fourth division suggested that the first battles had ended. He wondered about the fate of the other taichous who had gone out when he did and risked their bankais. And he grieved inwardly at having sensed the fall of Soutaichou.

 _Grandfather and Soutaichou were close friends. And I suspect that they maintained some contact even after Grandfather was inducted into the king's service._

He winced mentally again as Zaraki gave a rumbling snort and began snoring louder. A healer entered the room and fussed about, looking as though he was trying to help, but then leaving the incapacitated noble incensed as he failed miserably, and just resorted to closing the door on the way out of the room.

 _What is wrong with these people?_

 _How in kami's name am I supposed to heal with that horrendous, mind shattering ruckus going on? Damn!_

 _Stop._

 _Stop!_

 _Damn you, Zaraki! STOP!_

Bereft of mobility and reiatsu, the only part of him left able to respond, his red soul ribbon, snapped furiously, swatting at Zaraki and making the big man flinch, snort and cough several times.

 _Why can't you be the one in the goddamned deep coma?_

 _This is worse than that ridiculous excuse for a battle that did this to me. Worse than the humiliation of still being alive after my 'not so last' request to Ichigo. I do not know how I will live that one down. So help me, if the brat teases me even one time about that, I will have to..._

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he realized that, across the room from him, something had wrapped around and entangled itself with his soul ribbon.

 _Oh, for kami's sake, what now?_

 _Oh,_ he thought, reaching through the link and sensing Zaraki's spirit ribbon, _Oh no. This...this is really...not...good!_

When Zaraki started snoring again, it seemed to flow through their entangled spirit ribbons and shake him to the core.

 _I am this far from adding to the humiliation of my defeat and that torrid confession to Ichigo by trying to summon help...although unable to speak or move, no reiatsu and my soul ribbon inhibited, I do not know how that would work..._

Zaraki shifted in his sleep and Byakuya felt the knot their soul ribbon had made tighten. Then, slowly, he felt the close presence of Zaraki's mind with his. One minute, he was registering the shock, with some level of disgust, and the next, he felt himself being forcibly dragged out of his unresponsive body, yanked across the room and dropped unceremoniously into the rogue abyss that was Zaraki Kenpachi's sleeping mind. He landed roughly in the man's inner world, something only possible because of the entanglement of their soul ribbons. He sucked in a relieved breath at feeling as though he had a body and being able to move and see again (although he was well aware that it extended only to while he was in the other man's inner world.), and he climbed to his feet and looked around the barren, battle-scored demesnes.

It was nothing remotely like his own lovely, gardenlike, sakura scented inner world, but it reeked of Kenpachi's love of battle and general disregard for the state of his body as he fought.

"Ugh..." he muttered, somewhat shocked at hearing the sound of his own voice out loud, "Barbaric..."

He looked around for his colleague to tell him to untangle them immediately, if not sooner, but couldn't seem to locate him anywhere. He did feel another presence...masculine, powerful and as unlikable as his fellow taichou.

 _This is...his zanpakutou, then?_ he mused, moving forward, _I must admit, I have always wondered..._

He worked his way carefully through the tumbled rubble and towards the sword's reiatsu. He spotted the spirit finally, leaned over Zaraki, where he laid on the ground...still snoring loudly.

"Wake up, you lazy moron!" shouted a somewhat low pitched voice.

Zaraki grunted as the spirit kicked him, then stood and crossed his arms.

The spirit was tall and dressed as raggedly as Zaraki did (the effect of battling at every single opportunity.). His eyes were a dangerous black, and his hair was long and black, pulled up into a high ponytail. He wore spiked adornments on his wrists and carried the same long, chipped and scored sword that his master did.

The spirit spotted him as he paused, several yards from the two.

"Who the'fuck are you, asshole?" he hissed at the noble, "You aren't welcome here. You'd better turn the hell around and get your bishie ass outta here before I lay waste to it!"

Byakuya blinked insurprise.

 _He is...as hideous as Zaraki is._

 _Though, obviously, that makes sense._

"I wish to leave this horrid place as soon as possible," Byakuya said, archly, "So if you will do me the kindness of untangling our spirit ribbons..."

He broke off as the spirit charged him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, stunned, "I am defenseless!"

"Yeah?" the spirit yelled, "Well, wimps who invade our inner world, deserve to die!"

He had almost reached the frozen noble, when Zaraki appeared between them and grabbed the other blade as it came down.

"Knock it off," he said, kicking the spirit away, "He's had enough. You know what I say about finishing someone who's not able to fight. Back off."

He turned and gave Byakuya a crooked grin.

"Hello, Kuchiki," he said, smirking, "You wanna tell me how the hell you got in here? I'd be pleased as shit if you weren't in such disgraceful condition, because it would be fun to fight you...but this would be no fuck'n challenge at all."

"I did not come here to challenge you," Byakuya said, frowning, "I was dragged in here by your overly large and clumsy spirit ribbon when it got itself tangled up with mine."

"Well, what was your spirit ribbon doing twirling around mine, Kuchiki? You have a little crush on me? That's usually a sign, you know."

"Shut up! Just untangle the damned thing so that I can go back to my own body. I won't even try to tell you to leave off that boorish snoring. I'll settle for being back in my own body!"

"Heh, no fun at all, are you?" laughed Zaraki, reaching out and giving his red spirit ribbon a tug.

Byakuya gasped in surprise as he was yanked off his feet and flew in Zaraki's direction.

"You...idiot!" he raged as Zaraki's hands moved and captured him as he crashed into the other man.

He ended up pressed up against Zaraki, with their spirit ribbons still entwined, and now tying them together.

"What is...going on?" Byakuya cried, struggling.

"I got no idea," admitted Zaraki, "I've never heard of anything like this happening."

He felt something hard touch his thigh and suddenly noticed his own body was becoming aroused.

"This is some weird shit," Zaraki mused, "Hey you! Get over here and cut us loose!"

"What?" Byakuya objected, "Are you out of your mind? You can't chop up our soul ribbons! We're already almost dead, you know!"

"Well," said the bigger man, making Byakuya blush as he moved in a way that made their state of mutual arousal painfully clear, "Have you got any better ideas?"

"I do," said Zaraki's scowling zanpakutou, "but I don't know if you boys want to hear it."

"Just spill it," Zaraki ordered, "Or you can just sit here bored the next time you feel like fighting. I'll leave you here with fucking nothing to fight for a month!"

"Grr..." the spirit growled discontentedly.

A moment later, his lips curled into a smug smile.

"Fine. You want to know my idea, I'll tell you. But you might not like it very much."

"Just spill it."

"Well, you know that there's one time when the spirit ribbons of two shinigamis will entwine naturally, and then unbind themselves after," he said, looking at the two through narrowed eyes.

Zaraki's green eyes and Byakuya's dark gray ones met and registered suddenly, the meaning of the zanpakutou's words. The spirit descended into deep, hearty laughter.

"I'll just leave you to that, then!" he cackled.

"D-don't you dare!" Byakuya gasped, "Cut them! Just cut them! Zaraki, don't...!"

He found himself unable to speak as Zaraki's mouth came down brutally hard on his, and the man's tongue thrust between his parted, objecting lips. He pushed against the other man's chest, unable to mount any kind of defense because of the spirit ribbons that bound them together.

 _What is he...?_

 _Oh gods, what is he...doing...to my mouth?_

He felt a hard, brazen jolt in his loins as he felt Zaraki's marauding tongue scorching along his, then pushing in deeper, burning all of the surfaces he touched. He balled his hands into fists and beat them against the other man, until Zaraki's mouth finally released his.

"Aw, what are you so pissed about?" Zaraki asked, frowning, "The bastard's right. It's the only way to undo it. And it's just here. We're not even in our bodies right now. It's just a little nasty mindfucking, ne?"

"I am not doing _that anywhere, with you, ever_!" snapped the flustered noble.

"Why not?" asked Zaraki, "Your dick says you liked that kiss I gave you."

"I thought you were into fighting," Byakuya said dryly.

"Well, I can't fight if I'm all wrapped around you, can I? So...seeing no other way around this, I'm willing to do this, if you are. No one's gonna know. I won't tell them."

Byakuya went quiet for a moment, thinking. He tried repeatedly, but couldn't think of a single other idea. Finally, he sighed.

"I suppose there is no other means of untying ourselves. But...I am not going to go all the way with you. We'll just have to find a way to induce mutual orgasm, because that is all that we really need to do here."

"Except our hands can't get down there to do the job," observed Zaraki.

"So, we will just, move our bodies," suggested the noble, blushing more brightly.

"Like this?" asked Zaraki, moving his hips and dragging a gasping moan from the noble.

"S-stop!"

"Hey, you said there's no other way, right. So shut up and let's get this over with, Kuchiki."

He moved his hips again, and clamped down on Byakuya's hissing mouth again to stop his complaints. But after a few surprisingly lovely, grinding thrusts, he left off trying to say anything and just gripped the other man, moving his own hips to deepen the pleasure. Neither was sure exactly when they tumbled to the ground or whose hands managed to tug their clothing out of the way. But suddenly, hot flesh collided with likewise hot flesh, and the two tumbled into a heady swell of arousal that licked at them like blistering flames. And although they meant to only rub against each others' bodies, eventually, their movements became so heated and uncontrolled that Zaraki's inflamed member slid back unexpectedly far, then pushed up against Byakuya's pretty round bottom.

He expected another haughty objection, but then got a look at Byakuya's face, which he had never seen to look anything but sedate or frowning. The look on the noble's face was shockingly wanton. And when Zaraki pushed forward, the noble only closed his eyes and winced as he made his entry. Not wanting to tempt fate, Zaraki groaned and thrust, hard and fast, hoping to climax before his pretty partner could change his mind and object. But Byakuya's body only ground forcefully against his, and his hands clenched the bigger man's shoulders, the pearly nails digging in as Byakuya's body quivered and began to shudder. The sudden tightness, made Zaraki close his eyes and stiffen in reaction. Overcome by the sudden explosion of heat inside him, Byakuya moaned and panted harshly against Zaraki's heaving chest.

And as their arousal diminished, and their spirit ribbons relaxed, Byakuya felt himself being dragged away. He felt himself tumble back into his comatose body in time to realize.

 _Ah...that works..._

 _But it wasn't real...j-just a dream._

 _Just a..._

Byakuya fell away into a deep sleep, hoping that now that the nightmare was over, he could rest peacefully again. For some time, he had his wish. The room was silent except for the soft passage of light breaths and the sound of soft footsteps in the hallway.

Then, across the room, Zaraki's mouth fell open, and he began to snore again.

 _Damn him..._


	2. Chosen

**Chapter 2: Chosen**

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 **(Had a sudden urge to write some Kenny/Bya and remembered this one! Kurushimi and Aderia Shima appear courtesy of Shima-taicho31. Thanks! :) Enjoy!)**

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 **(One month later - At the end of the quincy war)**

The sound of footsteps echoed slightly in the newly restored first division as the taichou of the Gotei 13 headed in for their first meeting in that place since the opening battle of the quincy war. They walked proudly past the rebuilt white pillars and spotless walls, on gleaming wooden floors that led to the room where Kyoraku Shunsui waited with Fukutaichos Ise and Okikiba standing on either side of him.

Along one side of the room stood the pale, but recovering Ukitake Juushiro with Kuchiki Rukia at his shoulder. Next to them stood Kuchiki Byakuya alongside his cousin and new fukutaicho, Tetsuya. Renji stood tall in his new haori, representing the eighth division alongside Yadomaru Lisa with Shima Kurushimi and his sister Aderia representing the third and fourth divisions and Kurosaki Ichigo leading the seventh. Along the other side of the room, Hitsugaya Toshiro and his fukutaicho exchanged conversation with Soi Fon, while Zaraki Kenpachi sighed impatiently and tried to catch the eyes of the sixth or third division taichos in an attempt to instigate a fight. Shinji, Rose, Kensei and Kurotsuchi Mayuri rounded out the group, who waited as attendants closed the door to the chamber and Kyoraku sotaicho called the meeting to order.

"Welcome back," he said, smiling, "to those of you who haven't been here in a while and welcome to Abarai Renji, Shima Kurushimi, and Shima Aderia, new leaders of the eighth, third and fourth divisions. It's been a long time since our gathered number has been complete. I think we owe a lot of thanks to Shima Aderia and Inoue Orihime for mending those of us returning from the battles in the royal realm as well as patching together the rest of those who needed it down here in the Seireitei."

He paused and ran his eyes around the room.

"I think we're all relieved to be entering a time of peace, but before that party can really get started, unfortunately, we have a rather big problem we have to solve. But I am sure that with the talents that we have in this room, we will address the issue quickly and get back to the business of purifying hollows and transitioning souls. I will turn things over to Urahara Kisuke to give you the explanation for the work at hand."

The chamber doors opened to admit the shopkeeper, who strode in, then moved up the aisle to join Kyoraku Sotaicho. He cleared his throat softly, then began to speak.

"All of you are aware that our worlds are held together by the balance of souls passing constantly between Soul Society and the living world. When the soul king was killed, our worlds would have fallen out of balance, but they were restructured by the quincy king, who scrambled things up pretty good, and then died, leaving us with a huge mess to clean up and no king to keep the balance of souls. We were able, using a Shihoin family construct, to create a temporary balancer, however Central 46 and the officers of the Royal Guard have come to the conclusion that we are going to have to attempt a rebirth of the soul king, using this."

Kisuke held up a multi-colored, faceted prism that just filled the palm of his hand.

"This is the king's prism," he explained, "and this is how it works. See, the king is an immortal, so although he can be _killed_ and turned back to spirit particles, those particles return into this prism when he dies and there is a process by which he can be reborn in a new incarnation. The souls of the former incarnations remain in the prism, and their voices guide the new incarnation as he maintains the balance of souls and provides foresight and insight needed to ensure our safety and well being."

"How does the king get reborn?" asked Renji, his tattooed brow furrowing.

"Well," said the shopkeeper, "I think the best source of the basic information is Kuchiki Byakuya. As you know, the Kuchiki clan is the guardian clan who protects the history of the Seireitei within the Kuchiki Family Archive. Byakuya, if you will take over from here, I will discuss the more intimate details of this with the chosen ones."

Byakuya nodded.

"As Urahara Kisuke has already said, the souls of the former incarnations of the king enter the king's prism when they die, and their voices guide the new incarnation of the king, lending him their wisdom and foresight. The new king is made by the binding of transcendent reiatsu that is generated by the king's prism and is primed in the body of a chosen shinigami, who then places the reiatsu in a second shinigami through multiple acts of mating."

"I wonder who the lucky bastard'll be picked for the inseminating," chuckled Kenpachi.

Byakuya glowered at him, but refused the bait.

"Because the forces generated in the royal reiatsu, the shinigamis chosen for this task are always members of the Royal Guard and Gotei 13, and will be taichos or fukutaichos."

A murmur went through the room.

"Well, ladies, Kenpachi said, smirking, I guess one of you is about to get lucky...a lot!"

"Do you mind?" Byakuya inquired archly.

Kenpachi gave him a crooked grin.

"Not at all, Princess. Go on," he drawled.

Byakuya scowled and his reiatsu darkened ominously.

"All right fellas," Shunsui said, breaking the tension between the two, "That's enough. Please, Kuchiki taicho, go on."

"Who chooses the two shinigamis?" Toshiro asked, looking around at the other taichos.

"The prism will choose," Byakuya informed them, "The Royal Guards have already been tested, and none of them were chosen. It requires strength and durability to withstand the powerful forces involved, so the souls in the prism must choose strong shinigamis with deep resonance."

"How do we know who is chosen?" Shima Kurushimi asked, glancing at Byakuya's lovely male cousin out of the corner of a turquoise eye.

Byakuya shifted slightly so that the man's eyes could no longer ogle Tetsuya, who blushed as he realized the attention the third division taicho had been giving him.

"Each of us, taichos and fukutaichos will pass by the prism set at the front of the room and lay hands on it. If the prism glows, that person touching it is chosen for the task, gold for the first chosen and silver for the second. The two chosen will be locked into the newly rebuilt palace for the mating, and attended as needed by two appointed taicho levels. The rest of us will act as guards outside the Royal Realm, ensuring that the transcendent reiatsu does not leak out and wreak havoc on the Seireitei. When the mating has ended, the reiatsu will be rendered in the body of the second chosen and will be born as the new soul king."

"Sounds easy enough," Shunsui said, smiling, "Do they take volunteers?"

"Yeah, I'll sign up to shag one of you pretty ladies," Kenpachi snickered.

"Does it have to be a female?" Kurushimi mused just loudly enough to earn a smack in the head from his disapproving sister, "Ow! It's a fair question!"

"All right, all right," Shunsui laughed, shaking his head, "Let's get you all lined up and see who is chosen to make the new king."

The taichos and fukutaichos to Shunsui's left filed past, each pausing to lay their hands on the prism that had been placed on a table at the front of the room. Soi Fon gave a sigh of relief as she touched the prism and it earned no reaction. Omaeda and Toshiro earned a like result. Kenpachi wore an amused smirk as he approached the prism and laid his hands on it. His smirk widened into a huge grin as the prism vibrated softly under his palms and resonated a bright gold color.

"Ho, ho, ho." he chortled, "I guess that thing knows quality when it feels it, ne?"

He studied the females left in the room and his eye fell on Shima Aderia, earning a look of pure hatred from Kurushimi. The rest of the taichos and fukutaichos on Shunsui's left filed by and none were selected.

"Do we really need to have the guys do this now?" Renji asked Ichigo, "I mean, we've got our guy, right?"

"I guess they're just being thorough," Ichigo suggested.

He and Renji laid their hands on the sphere and were not selected, then Aderia, Lisa, Kurushimi and Tetsuya approached the prism, and all were passed over.

"Oh my god!" Renji whispered to Ichigo, "Only Rukia's left. Byakuya looks like he's going to bust something."

"He has even more reason to hate Kenpachi now!" Ichigo agreed.

Her heart in her throat, Rukia approached the prism and laid her shaking hands on the artifact. Her breath caught as the prism remained dormant.

"What the hell?" Kenpachi mused, "Who'm I gonna shag now? All the girls got turned down."

Juushiro placed his hands on the prism and it stayed dormant. All eyes were on Byakuya as he stepped up and laid his hands on the prism. Shocked gasps sounded all around the room as the prism glowed a bright silver color. Byakuya's grey eyes widened and he stared at the prism in disbelief. The room went still for a breathless moment, then Kenpachi's voice sounded again.

"Can I call you princess now, Kuchiki?" he snorted.

Byakuya disappeared in a scathing flash step and reappeared, sword in hand and slashing at the eleventh division taicho, who crossed sword with the sixth division taicho as several of the other taichos hastened to separate them.

"Am I the only one who thinks that the worlds are in a lot of trouble right now?" Renji asked, shaking his head.

"I think they're gonna kill each other before they can make a king," Ichigo added skeptically.

The two yelped as Rukia swatted them in the head, scowling at them.

"You shouldn't be making jokes like that!" she scolded them, "Poor Nii-sama!"

" _You_ shouldn't be hitting your superiors!" Renji objected.

He yelped again as Lisa swatted him, just as Rukia had.

"Ow! Hey, knock it off!" Renji complained.

"Hey, hey, take it easy everyone," Shunsui said, putting up his hands defensively, "Let's all calm down. It's a little unexpected."

"A _little unexpected_?" Byakuya repeated scathingly, "I am not letting that hideous, hulking barbarian lay hands on me. I would rather the three worlds ended!"

"Now, now, Kuchiki, where's your sense of duty?" Kenpachi teased him, "Aren't you always getting on me about being more responsible? Setting an example?"

"I don't see how letting an overgrown monkey like you lay down with me is setting any kind of example!"

"Now, now," Shunsui soothed him, "I know it's a surprise, and not a good one, but we all agreed upon becoming taichos that we would follow the will of the king. Well, the king is willing you to do this, because you have the strongest resonance between you."

"There is nothing of the sort between us," Byakuya seethed, "And when we do this and nothing happens, the worlds will come crashing down!"

"Unfortunately," Juushiro added sympathetically, "if we do nothing, we are guaranteed the worlds will end."

"Juushiro's right," said Shunsui, "We don't really have a choice. You two are the ones chosen to rebirth the king. None of the rest of us can do it. I know it's unpleaant..."

" _Unpleasant_?" Byakuya huffed, "Try unbearable."

"But you'll get through it. Look, it's just a few days..."

 _"A few days_?" Byakuya snapped.

Shunsui shrugged.

"Maybe a week, right? You just do this and make the king, then you and Kenpachi can come back here are forget this ever happened, okay?"

Kurushimi let out a skeptical breath and shook his head.

"I don't think half the ones here will ever let Byakurai forget this, especially _el diablo_ over there!" he mused.

"Sotaicho," Tetsuya said respectfully, "how will the attendants be chosen?"

Shusui glanced at Byakuya questioningly.

"We are free to choose who we want to attend us," he answered.

Byakuya scanned the room and met his cousin's sympathetic eyes.

"I select Tetsuya to attend me," he stated quietly.

Kenpachi smirked, letting his eyes scan the room until they landed on Kurushimi.

"Hey you," he called out, grinning, "You wanna be my little helper, cupcake?"

Kurushimi's turquoise eyes flared and he started to give an equally heated reply, but he caught sight of Tetsuya, standing close at his cousin's shoulder and bit back his scathing reply, nodding in assent.

"I accept."

Kenpachi did a doubletake.

"Huh? You do?" he stammered awkwardly, "Aw man, I was just kidding. Can I still choose one of the ladies?"

"I think those are fine choices," Shunsui said decisively, "We have our chosen and their attendants. The rest of you are dismissed."

Byakuya stared blankly ahead of him, his mind in a whirl as the chamber emptied, save for the chosen, their attendants and Kyoraku and Urahara Kisuke.

"It has to be some kind of mistake," he mused, "How could the king think for a minute that such a hideous beast could be useful for making a wise and all-knowing king?"

"W-well," Tetsuya reasoned, "You did say that the one who was chosen first was to gather transcendent reiatsu from the prism. The reiatsu will be horribly powerful and unstable."

"And my body has to take that reiatsu in and stabilize it," Byakuya said uneasily, "This is insane!"

"Hey Kuchiki, no hard feelings, right?" Kenpachi said, moving to join them, "I was just kidding around before."

"Would you do me the favor of not speaking to me?" Byakuya asked coldly, "Better yet, just get away from me!"

"I don't think that's possible, Princess. It's necessary to be close since we have to have sex, you know."

Byakuya paled.

"I think I'm going to be sick..."

"Sorry to be in a rush here," Kisuke said, calling the four over to him, "but time is of the essence. The temporary king is just a construct that is slowly breaking down. We need to get the new king made before he fades away and everything goes to hell."

"This way, only I get the dubious honor of visiting hell," Byakuya said under his breath.

"Here's how it will work. Shunsui and I will take you to the palace and the Royal Guards will lock you in. There, you will go to the king's healing pool, where you will be subjected to a ritual bath..."

"Thank kami that giant ape is going to bathe before putting his hands on me," Byakuya muttered.

"I'm giving the prism to Kenpachi, because he is going to be gathering the king's reiatsu for the exchange, and it comes out of the prism."

"How do I get it to work?" the big man asked, frowning at the prism as Kisuke handed it to him and turning the artifact over in his hands.

"You sit quietly and focus on it," Kisuke directed him, "And the reiatsu will seep out and into your body. When your body is full of reiatsu, you will have the urge to mate with the other chosen."

"I kinda already have the urge, if you know what I mean," Kenpachi snickered, earning a hateful look from the noble.

"You'll need to be careful," Kisuke cautioned him.

"Yeah, don't want to hurt that delicate flower, eh?"

"You don't want to force in too much transcendent reiatsu and blow him up," Urahara said matter-of-factly.

"Damn..."

"I told you. The reiatsu you are gathering is strong and extremely unstable."

"Like the half-wit that is gathering it," Byakuya said dryly.

"I heard that," Kenpachi growled.

"Really? Good," Byakuya said blithely.

"You wanna go a few rounds before we get to reiatsu gathering and fucking?" Kenpachi asked in an aggressive tone.

"I don't think so. I might be tempted to kill you, and the worlds would end. Still, it might be worth it."

"Are they leaving their weapons here?" Kuri asked, "because I think they will actually kill each other if they don't."

"They're going to be occupied with their tasks and probably won't have the energy to fight," Kisuke reasoned, "Kenpachi will mostly either be focusing on the prism, placing it or eating to maintain his strength. Byakuya, you will be depleted of your reiatsu and powers before you begin."

"What?" Byakuya asked, looking alarmed.

"Your body is being turned into a big receptacle for the reiatsu. It'll be forced into your body, and your body will be tasked with rendering it to make it stable enough to form the new king. The reason for the multiple matings is because putting it all in at once would overwhelm your systems and blow your spirit centers. We don't want that. We want you to come back unharmed."

"Except for being subjected to that primal animal's sexual torments," Byakuya complained.

"Except for that," Kisuke agreed, smirking, "Once the reiatsu is placed, the mating ends and the full rendering commences. You will need to have Kenpachi bond with you to help control the reiatsu within you. When the rendering is done, you will return to the king's healing pool, where the king's rebirth will take place. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Kenpachi said, smiling at Byakuya, "is someone going to make sure the princess here doesn't kill me in my sleep while we're there?"

"I think Byakuya understands that this is necessary or our worlds are history. But just in case, Kurushimi and Tetsuya will each be given tranquilizing darts to stop any escalating situations. Emotions will be high and you two might not quite be yourselves, so we need to have a way to get you to pause and think before killing each other."

He looked the four over, then indicated a tenchurren that had arrived to carry them.

"All right folks. This is it. Anyone have to go to the bathroom? Cause once we leave, the next stop is the palace. No takers? Good, let's go, then."

Byakuya watched as Kyoraku and Kisuke boarded the tenchurren, then he glared meaningfully at Kenpachi.

"What's that look for?" Kenpachi asked, scowling back at him, "What's on your mind, Kuchiki?"

"Just so you know?" Byakuya hissed softly, "You had best not do or say anything offensive to me while we're there. I may not be able to kill you during the ritual, but eventually, we are going to come back! Insult my honor and I will destroy you when this is over!"

"Oh, don't make me promises you can't back up!" Kenpachi snapped back, following him into the tenchurren.

"This isn't starting off very well," Tetsuya said warily.

"I am not a gambling man," Kurushimi ventured, "but even if I was, I would have to be loco to take bets on what will happen."

"Do you think they will calm down by the time we get there?" Tetsuya inquired.

Kuri gave him a knowing smirk.

"I think we'd better keep those tranquilizer darts close to us, Tetsu-hana"


	3. Silver and Gold

**Chapter 3: Silver and Gold**

 **(Ugh, getting steamrolled by work, so barely have a moment to post. Just tomorrow, then I'm on Spring Break! I will catch up on shout outs on the next chapter. Just wanted to acknowledge the return of Kenny and Bya to the battlefield in the latest Bleach manga! Love those boys. Hope you all enjoy this feisty chapter! Love, Spunky)**

Byakuya flinched and his scowl returned as the Tenchurren crashed down onto the landing pad in the royal realm, jolting the six who sat inside. They undid their restraints and Shunsui led the others to the door of the tall, white craft. He paused and looked back at the others.

"Kisuke, Byakuya and Kenpachi," he said solemnly, "you already know, but I think Kuri and Tetsuya may be a little shocked when they see...so, just a warning. The royal realm isn't looking so royal right now. Most of the structures were destroyed, either when Ywach transformed things or when Ichigo defeated Ywach and the world he created exploded. Luckily for us, when a cataclysmic event like that happens, the healing pool is protected, so it will be here. And when the two chosen bathe in the water of the healing pool, the new palace and grounds will be constructed and the chosen, along with their attendants will be transported into it.

"You're sayin' that we go take a bath together and this palace is gonna rebuild itself?" Kenpachi asked, looking impressed.

"I think it would be more fitting if that overgrown half-wit who actually destroyed a good percentage of the former construct would have to rebuild it with his own hands," Byakuya said dryly, "Only he is much better at destroying things than building them."

"Look who's talking," Kenpachi laughed, "I think you destroyed a damned lot of it, yourself."

A short distance behind them, Kuri bent to whisper into Tetsuya's ear, making the soft lobe blush.

"Do you think that may be why the prism chose them to fix things? Because they fucked the most part up?" he asked, smirking.

"It's not like they could help it," Tetsuya whispered back, "The quincies were horribly powerful. Their king did the most destruction."

"Ahem," Shunsui said, clearing his throat to regain the others' attention, "When we exit onto the landing pad, the remnant piece of the old palace, housing the pool will be ahead of us. Kisuke and I will stay in the tenchurren, because once Kenpachi activates the prism, the heavens will be locked down until the mating is over."

"What will happen to the king and the guards who are here now?" Tetsuya inquired.

"The prism will pull them inside," Kisuke explained, "and after the ritual, the guards and staff will be returned. The constructed king will remain in the prism, becoming a part of the soul forces that guide the new king."

"Once the realm is locked and we leave, it's up to the four of you to make sure that the king is reborn," Shunsui added.

"But no pressure, of course," joked Kisuke.

"Byakuya and Kenpachi, you know your roles, gatherer and renderer. Pretty straightforward," said Shunsui.

He turned an eye to gaze at Tetsuya and Kuri.

"You two won't be just window dressing either," he stated firmly, "You are to protect the chosen ones, even if you have to protect them from each other. Make sure no harm comes to them or we'll all be toast, got it?"

"Eh," Kuri said, scratching at the back of his neck, "Sotaicho, the way you phrase that suggests that there is more to threaten these two than each other."

"Very astute, Shima-taicho," Kisuke complimented him, "You see, while you don't have to worry about hollows up here so much, there is something you do have to worry about."

Kuri and Tetsuya exchanged wary glances.

"What's that?" Kuri asked.

"Well, the exchanges of power will be off the charts, and while no one can enter from outside the royal realm, there are some denizens of the royal realm who could pose a problem, endangering the chosen."

"What are they?" Tetsuya asked.

"Spirit demons," Kisuke informed them, "You see, the royal realm has the highest reiatsu concentration of any of our worlds. And the souls that live up here are extremely powerful or they couldn't survive the pressure of the constant barrage of those forces. Now, most souls have a balance of some sort of good and evil, but when a soul is completely poisoned with evil, it takes a monstrous form. The soul is shaded red or black and has red or golden eyes. They exude toxic evil all around them and their reiatsu, if it enters another soul, can corrupt and transform it."

" _Dios mìo_!" Kuri exclaimed, "If that touches one of the chosen..."

"Exactly," Kisuke agreed, "If one of these demons is able to infiltrate the palace and infects either of the chosen, the rebirthing must be aborted and you will be forced to kill the chosen ones."

"What?" Tetsuya and Kuri cried together.

"You have to understand," Kisuke said, glancing at Byakuya and Kenpachi, "once the process begins, if the growing reiatsu in Byakuya is infected, it will become a demon and we will have a demon king. If you didn't like things with Ywach calling the shots, that was a walk in the park compared to having a demon king."

"But why would we have to kill the chosen too?" Kuri asked.

"The rebirthing process is complicated," Kisuke informed them, "and once cleansed and prepared for their task, the chosen must not be tainted during the course of their work."

"And there is no removing the taint if they are infected?" Tetsuya asked worriedly.

"No," Shusui sighed, "As long as they are in the process of making the king, they have to stay pure."

"So, that means the two of you will be on the lookout for any sign of a demon entering the grounds. Luckily for you, they have a hard time hiding their reiatsu. Some, very powerful ones can to some extent," Kisuke added, "Also in your favor is that the palace emits reiatsu that is repellent to them. Some would bear it to try to reach the chosen ones, but the two of you will receive instruction on how to fight them, while Byakuya and Kenpachi are beginning their preparations."

"But who will instruct us, since the staff and guards will be in the prism?" Kuri asked.

"You'll go to the royal archive," Kisuke instructed them, "Lock yourselves in, because you don't want to be exposed to the forces that will explode when the first mating begins. By the time it's done, you'll be able to leave the archive and I'm warning you now to stay in the interior corridors of the palace, the passages within the walls that the royal attendants use. You may have to come out to fight or to break up the two chosen if they start to want to kill each other..."

" _Start_ to want to kill each other?" Byakuya said under his breath, making Kenpachi snicker.

"...but if you do, go back inside as soon as possible. You will be vulnerable to the forces of the mating couple while you are exposed...and they won't quite be themselves while filled with transcendent reiatsu."

"But won't the transcendent forces hurt Byakuya-sama if he is relieved of his powers?" Tetsuya asked anxiously.

"Don't worry about that," Kisuke assured him, "The chosen couple are chosen for their durability, among other things, plus the prism gives them some resistance to the forces they are manipulating, though too much exposure can still be deadly."

"Any more questions?" Shunsui asked, glancing at the four men, one by one, "No takers? All right. You four can go out and get started. Good luck to you."

"I think good luck will not be enough," Byakuya muttered.

"You say something, princess?" Kenpachi teased.

"Shut up and stop calling me that!" Byakuya warned him, his reiatsu bristling.

He stiffened slightly and all four men went quiet as the tenchurren opened, and they walked out onto the landing pad. Kuri and Tetsuya looked upward, where the palace should have been, but found nothing but sky above them. Ahead of them, stood a large, closed metal chamber.

"Take the prism and touch the bottom to the pad on the front of that obelisk," Kisuke urged Kenpachi.

Kenpachi moved ahead of Byakuya, Kuri and Tetsuya, withdrawing the prism from within the folds of his clothes and holding it in his hands as they approached the shining metal obelisk. He extended the device and touched it to a sensor that matched the shape and size of the bottom of the prism. A loud click sounded, then the four backed away, watching as the chamber opened.

Inside was a small bit of what looked to have been the king's gardens. The floor was soft grass and a few trees surrounded the large pool that dominated the space. A tall rock waterfall split the falling water into two streams, one that began to glow silver, and one that glowed golden.

"I guess we know whose is whose," Kenpachi said, trying to lighten the mood.

He paused, frowning at the uncertain, somewhat vulnerable look on Byakuya's comely face.

"Hey," Kenpachi said bracingly, "I was kidding back there with the name calling and teasing."

"I know," Byakuya said stiffly.

"Don't get pissed at me for saying this, even though I know you will," Kenpachi went on, "but I'll look out for you in there."

"What are you saying, you idiot?" Byakuya said dismissively, "You heard what Kisuke said. We are not exactly going to be ourselves. You do not know what you will be like, so you cannot be making promises like that."

"Urahara-san didn't elaborate much on that," Tetsuya observed.

"I think he did not want to scare us," Byakuya said quietly.

"What the fuck have we got to be scared of?" Kenpachi said, shaking his head, "I don't care who does what, I'm not going to let you have the power sucked outta you and have you die on my watch. It ain't happening, Kuchiki."

"I am...touched at your clumsy attempt at chivalry," Byakuya said condescendingly, "but you have no idea at all what you will be like when you are filled with transcendent reiatsu. I may actually begin to long for the bumbling, stupid troll you are now!"

"Aw, is that you telling me that you're gonna miss me?" Kenpachi asked, giving him a crooked smile.

"Not remotely," Byakuya said icily.

"You have those darts ready, don't you?" Kuri whispered to Tetsuya, "We may need them soon."

"Let's just get this over with!" Byakuya snapped, moving forward to the edge of the healing pool.

"Do we uh, go in with our clothes on or do we need to get naked for this?" Kenpachi asked.

 _Only the bared chosen will enter the pool_ , a commanding voice spoke into Byakuya and Kenpachi's minds, making the two men flinch and their eyes widen in surprise.

"What happened?" Tetsuya asked worriedly.

"Nothing," Byakuya assured him, "The prism was speaking to us. Do not worry. We are fine."

"But it looks like we do have to be naked," Kenpachi said, starting to remove his clothes.

Tetsuya sucked in a surprised and flustered breath and all three of the other men couldn't help staring as Kenpachi's full physique was revealed, including a very large, even though currently flaccid, member.

"He's going to enter your cousin with _that_?" Kuri managed, seeing Tetsuya's frightful blush and rounded eyes and hastily covering the latter, " _Mierda_..."

"What's wrong?" Kenpachi asked, frowning as he looked down at himself, "I put on deodorant this morning."

He lifted his head and his green eyes came to rest on Byakuya's achingly beautiful revealed body, his long, flowing hair, perfectly sculpted face, shapely white torso, and a surprisingly ample nether region of his own. The noble's lovely lips curled into a wicked scowl.

"Would you _please_ stop drooling all over yourself and get in the damned pool, Kenpachi?" he hissed scathingly, "By the time you get around to moving that beastly hulking body of yours, the worlds will have fallen to pieces!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going," Kenpachi snarled back at him, "You in a rush to have me riding you, Lady Kuchiki?"

"That is _it_! I cannot take any more of him!" Byakuya shouted, forgetting his nakedness and flying at Kenpachi.

Instantly, he felt a sting in his shoulder and dropped to the ground at Kenpachi's feet.

"Sorry," Kuri apologized, moving forward and removing the dart from Byakuya's immobilized form.

"Y-you bas-stard!" Byakuya gasped.

"Get a grip," Kenpachi scolded him, "You getting pissed at me and trying to beat me up is a waste of time. We've got a job to do. Now, get in that fucking water and take a bath already!"

"I can't move, you h-hairy animal!" Byakuya snapped.

"Really?" Kenpachi sneered, "Let me help you then!"

He aimed a kick at Byakuya that sent him flying into his place under the silver waterfall.

"Score!" the big man laughed, striding into the water and heading for the golden waterfall.

"He's awful!" Tetsuya mused, swatting Kuri's hand away from his eyes as Kenpachi disappeared under the golden waterfall, "Poor Byakuya-sama!"

"You can say that again," Kuri agreed, "I felt bad using the dart on Byakurai, but I think he was really going to kill that fool."

"Who _wouldn't_ want to kill him after he made a comment like that?" Tetsuya said, scowling.

Kuri chuckled and started to agree, but both men froze as the area around them shifted suddenly and began to shake violently.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Tetsuya shouted over the roar and the sound of stone cracking.

"You're asking me, Tetsu-hana?" Kuri asked, shrugging, "I have no idea!"

A sharp jolt took Tetsuya off his feet and Kuri captured him, mid-fall.

"I've got you!" he assured Tetsuya, smirking as the scent of mingled flowers and fine leather drifted across his senses.

"You've got me?" Tetsuya asked in a dismayed tone, "Who has you? We're going to be pulverized!"

The two watched in wonder as the sky above the landing pad shimmered, then the obelisk holding the four men began to rise. As they left the landing pad, they saw the tenchurren they had arrived in disappear, heading back to the Seireitei. All around them, the sky seemed to quiver as misty shapes began to appear that slowly resolved into an expansive plane.

Instead of the cocoon shaped palace, the new plane held only one huge landing that incorporated the new palace and a wealth of surrounding lands. The king's palace rose up, a marvelous display of fine white stone with one large front entry, and inside, the castle proper and several smaller buildings that looked to be barracks for the military and a vast inner courtyard. The palace itself included a marble throne room, as well as sections of royal and guest bedrooms, and other sections for the kitchen and banquet halls, ballrooms, meeting rooms and the royal archive.

As soon as the archive appeared, Tetsuya and Kuri felt a compelling urge to head for it. They burst into flash steps and raced through the marble corridors, feeling the danger of the rising reiatsu caused as the two chosen were conditioned for their task.

 _I wonder what is going through Byakuya-sama's mind,_ Tetsuya wondered worriedly, _He seemed like he was afraid, though, of course, he would never admit such a thing._

 _But who wouldn't be afraid?_

The two ran into the archive and the great doors slammed behind them, then a loud snick told them that the lock was in place. They paused and looked around, staring at the endless sea of books and artifacts.

"Amazing!" Tetsuya whispered.

"But how do we find what we need to...?" Kuri began.

He went quiet as a door in the wall opened unexpectedly and a small light flashed, beckoning them. They walked into the small study on the other side, and the door slammed behind them. The two exchanged glances, then whirled as the lights in the room went out and a voice sounded behind them. They found themselves watching a display titled _Demons and How to Banish them_. The two sat down in two chairs at a small table, watching and listening closely as the instructive video began.

XXXXXXXXXX

As Byakuya's flung body crashed into the silver waterfall, he felt himself suddenly slow down, then his body was lifted slightly and suspended in what turned out to be a warm rush of water. He felt a touch of panic before realizing that he could still breathe, even though he was surrounded by the falling water. The droplets struck his skin gently and he felt their warmth seep inside to begin the work of preparing him to be the rendering vessel for the king's reincarnated form.

Byakuya gritted his teeth as he felt his own reiatsu being slowly drawn out of his body. As it exited, he felt weakness and dizziness settle over him. But almost immediately, some of the warm flow rushed into his mouth, reviving him as he was tilted so that it seemed like he was lying down, though still suspended in the water. The water seeping into his lower abdomen swirled strangely, and he felt a heaviness and more dull pain. Uncertainty loomed up in his mind his heart quickened. But just as he really thought he might panic, the constructed king's voice emanated in his mind.

 _Be calm. You will not be hurt by this. The chamber for the rendering is being grown from transcendent reiatsu. You may experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness and losses of consciousness, as well as intense pangs of hunger while your body is conducting the rendering. Emotional upsets will unbalance the reiatsu, so you will want to, as much as possible, control your reactions. Some moments of emotional intensity are natural, so you should not be alarmed if you find yourself crying or experiencing bouts of anger or depression. Just do not let your emotions intensify too greatly. We are grateful for your sacrifice, Byakuya. Thank you for opening the doorway for our return._

Byakuya felt gravity suddenly return, and his body splashed down into the warm pool, floating out from under the silver falls. For a time, he couldn't move to right himself. He only floated aimlessly in the water. He finally managed to turn his head and sucked in a breath of the healing water, staring in surprise as he spotted Kenpachi's hulking form, looking as though it had been covered in glittering gold. Hair, eyes and skin were all varying shades of the bright hue and the touch of those strange golden eyes chilled Byakuya's insides.

 _Am I likewise affected?_ he wondered.

He found he was able to put his feet down and slowly stood, swaying for a moment as he adjusted, then gazing down raptly at the water to look at his own silvery reflection. As with Kenpachi, all of his body was shades of lovely silver.

 _Eerie_ , he mused.

He watched silently as Kenpachi's golden body rose up, out of the water, and the powerful golden eyes found him. Kenpachi stared at him for a moment, as though slowly recognizing him, then lumbered towards him and stopped in front of him, gripping Byakuya's shoulders and glaring down at him.

"Kenpachi?" Byakuya whispered, his voice shaking slightly.

"He is suppressed for now, while he is adjusting to the gathering focus that was placed in his body. You are encouraged to eat and rest. We will find you when it is time for the first mating."

Byakuya looked back at Kenpachi wordlessly, only managing a short nod. He watched as Kenpachi sat down beside the healing pool and held the king's prism in his hands, his eyes glued to the multi-facted surface as light poured out from within it and seeped into the big man's golden body.

 _I just can't imagine_ , Byakuya thought, his heart beginning to race again.

He calmed himself as well as he could by walking slowly around the garden, breathing in the sweet, soothing scents and enjoying the pretty, mingled colors. He walked into the castle and familiarized himself with where the kitchen and bedrooms were, the made a quick meal for himself. He walked back out to the gardens afterward, thinking to look in on Kenpachi's progress, but was surprised to see no sign of Kenpachi at the healing pool's edge. He turned back towards the castle, but hadn't taken three steps when a strong arm curled around him and he was swiftly dragged down onto the grass.

"Kenpachi!" he snapped fiercely, "What in kami's name are you...?"

He broke off at seeing no sign of his comrade in the golden orbs that glared hungrily down at him. And even his voice wasn't Kenpachi's voice, but that of the interim constructed form of the king.

"Hold still so that I will not injure you," he said shortly, his invasive fingers working impatiently at preparing Byakuya.

The noble's jaw clenched and a sound of pain escaped him as Kenpachi worked his way gradually into Byakuya's silvery form. Byakuya turned his head aside, closing his eyes as Kenpachi's powerful body began to move. He moved with the hurried thrusts, holding on to the bigger man's shoulders and groaning at the scorching heat that burned his insides. But as uncomfortable as that was, it was nothing compared to the firestorm that exploded through him as the bigger man climaxed, violently expelling the gathered reiatsu into the chamber that had grown in his core. Byakuya had only a terrifying moment of wondering if something had gone horribly wrong. Then, light erupted behind his eyes, sending him crashing headlong, down into blackness.

 _I think I was right._

 _I do miss that ugly, wretched troll, Kenpachi._

 _Even he had better manners._


	4. Balances

**Chapter 4: Balances**

 **(I was on the road yesterday, so couldn't finish this up until today. :) I have many more updates on Kenpachi stories on the way. Have a lovely day. Cheers, Spunky)**

Byakuya felt the deep haziness enveloping his mind begin to recede, and he woke to find himself tucked into a soft, comfortable bed within the newly constructed palace. But while his only real desire was to dig more deeply into the blankets and go back to sleep, he felt a warning throb in the depths of his belly and was forced to abandon the bed in a mad dash for the nearest bathroom. He expelled the contents of his stomach violently, vaguely noting that even his vomit was made of shades of silver, then he staggered to his feet and rinsed his mouth before stumbling back to the bed and lying down.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance as a rumble of hunger went through his insides, and he found himself longing for home, where his family's housekeeper and cook, Matsuko, would certainly have prepared him whatever of his favorite foods he might have desired. He couldn't help but imagine his favorite meal of thin slices of beef in a savory ginger sauce, spread over thick, sticky rice and served with perfectly made tea. He blinked in surprise as the door to the king's suite opened suddenly.

"Is that you, you…" he began, thinking it was of course, Kenpachi come to initiate the next mating.

But rather than revealing the huge golden form of the eleventh division taicho, it was only a large tray of food that floated through the door and moved to hover over Byakuya's lap. Byakuya stared for a moment at the delicious food that seemed to have been constructed from his vision of what he wanted. Tentatively, he took a taste of the food and he groaned in bliss in that it was even better than he had imagined. He attacked the meal almost viciously, flushing slightly at his own urgency about doing so.

 _But it is not my fault exactly_ , he reasoned, _The forces working inside me are very strong._

He finished the meal in a few minutes, then sighed longingly, wishing for seconds. A very small smile touched his lips as the image of the emptied tray flickered and the tray was suddenly refilled. Without hesitation, he dove on the additional food, polishing off the second serving as quickly as the first. He blushed at needing a third serving, a fourth, then dessert, but reasoned that the immense forces burning inside him required extreme amounts of energy the food provided. He burped loudly as he finished eating, then set the tray aside and collapsed on the bed again. He was nearly asleep when he heard heavy footsteps approaching the room.

 _Oh, if this was not necessary…_

The door to the king's suite slammed open and Kenpachi's eerily beautiful golden form filled the doorway. His glowing golden eyes scanned the room, coming to rest on Byakuya's slender, silvery body. The golden man's lips curled back into a hungry grin and he flash stepped to the bed, where he tackled the noble before he could react. The two tumbled across the bed together and crashed clumsily to the floor, where Kenpachi's big fingers hastily sought Byakuya's entrance.

"Don't even let me climb back on the bed…" Byakuya complained, flinching and taking hissing breaths as his nether region was swiftly prepared, then roughly invaded.

The floor creaked and Byakuya's body reeled at each powerful, grinding thrust as Kenpachi's gilded body writhed in an oddly enthralling dance atop the noble's trapped form. He meant to look away, but found his eyes repeatedly drawn back to Kenpachi's tall, shining form.

 _I suppose he can't help acting this way. I was not acting like myself when I demolished four servings of food and barely held back from eating with my fingers. The power being bound to make the king is transcendent. Neither of us can hold back or resist while under its influence._

 _And…_

Byakuya had a moment of something that felt strangely like affection, and his hands slid down his comrade's lean, undulating form, curving around his bottom and inviting deeper penetration.

 _He looks so…different this way._

He would have been loathe to admit to the fascination he felt, and soon enough, the moment of unexpected beauty passed and Kenpachi stilled atop him, expelling the scathing reiatsu into his body so forcefully that Byakuya's vision dimmed and he sank almost immediately down into blackness. He remained silent and unmoving for how long, he wasn't sure. When he began to wake, he felt that he was back in bed and strong arms were holding him.

"Sorry about that, Kuchiki."

Byakuya opened his eyes and found his gilded mate holding him and gazing down at him intently. He glared up at the bigger man, starting to say something nasty, but froze in place at the look of genuine concern that Kenpachi was wearing.

"Damn," the bigger man swore, "are you all right? Didn't mean for that to happen, but that bastard gets hungry and just takes over."

"Why are you apologizing?" Byakuya chided him, "You know very well that if you ever tried to touch me like that without my permission, I would remove that monstrous equipment of yours. I agreed to this. Apologies are unnecessary."

"Huh," Kenpachi huffed, "Where I come from, you do something that hurts someone, you're supposed to apologize."

"Where _you_ come from, the women eat their young without apologies of any kind," Byakuya snapped scathingly.

Kenpachi chuckled and smirked at him.

"That make you feel better? Insulting me like that?" he asked.

"Somewhat," Byakuya sighed, groaning as the heat in his insides pulsated painfully, "but I am unable to fully enjoy it, as the liquid fire that you expelled into me is burning my insides."

"Well, then let me see if I can do anything to…"

"Get your hands _off_ of me!" Byakuya exclaimed, pulling away, "You are not touching me when the ritual does not demand it!"

"Hey, dumbass, I'm only trying to make it feel better. I can…"

"Stop, you moron!" Byakuya hissed furiously, swatting his hands away, "It is enough to have you brutalize me repeatedly for the purpose of reincarnating the king. You are not…"

"HEY!" Kenpachi snarled, grabbing Byakuya and holding his power stripped body so tightly that he couldn't move, "Just shut up and hold still. The ones in the prism told me that the mating would hurt you and that I could relieve some of the pain and help you render the reiatsu by rubbing your belly and giving you a little juice."

"You are not…"

"Not _that_ kinda juice," Kenpachi snickered, "This kind."

Byakuya stiffened in his comrade's grasp, but had to admit, to himself anyway, that the bigger man's hands and the light flow of soothing reiatsu did ease the discomfort he felt. He went quiet and relaxed in Kenpachi's strong embrace, avoiding the bigger man's amused eyes and silently promising himself, he would find a way to eventually get revenge of some satisfying kind someday. Kenpachi watched as Byakuya fell asleep, his heart flickering in his chest at the lovely sight and soft feel of the noble's resting body. He ran his fingers through Byakuya's thick, silver hair and breathed in his flowery scent.

 _I've always kinda liked looking at him. I didn't see many pretty things, growing up where I did, so I get fascinated by them. I don't feel good about being used like this, but touching him is…_

Kenpachi paused in his thoughts, glancing down and noting that his thoughts were making him aroused.

 _I should probably not do that. Byakuya's pissed enough about me doing it with him when we have to. I think he'd blow a gasket if I asked him to have sex just for us. Pretty, stuck up thing that he is? Yeah, he'd just throw it back in my face and tell me off. There's no way he would…_

Kenpachi's thoughts scattered like Byakuya's bladed petals as he realized that the noble had awakened and was looking up at him with a surprised expression. Without thinking, Kenpachi bent slightly and touched his lips to the slighter man's, fully expecting them to curl into a sneer and expel some horrid words and threats in his direction. He was stunned when, not only did Byakuya's lips stay soft and pliant, but the noble hesitated and started kissing him back. They kissed several times and Kenpachi felt the throbbing between his thighs increase until the sensation became moderately painful. But just as he was gathering the nerve to suggest something more intimate, Byakuya stiffened and his expression became pained.

"You all right?" Kenpachi asked.

Byakuya tore free of him and ran to the bathroom, where he feel onto his knees retching. Kenpachi sighed and limped after him, trying to ignore the vicious ache in his aroused loins as he curled his arms around the discomfited noble and gently infused his belly with more calming reiatsu.

"Is that any better?"

Byakuya sighed wearily, blinking to clear the spots that danced in front of his silvery eyes.

"Somewhat, but I do not think I can stand," he admitted, flushing slightly at the words.

 _I hate showing weakness in front of him, but my powers are gone and my body feels like all of the strength has drained out of it. I know it is just that my whole matrix has been committed to making the new king, but it is strange to feel helpless._

"Don't worry about it," Kenpachi answered, lifting him into strong, muscular arms.

 _I do not even have my physical strength. Everything is gone._

He laid, still and silent, in the bigger man's arms as he was carried back to the bed and tucked in. In the back of his mind, he realized that clouds had covered the skies outside the large, glass balcony doors and rain was falling.

 _I wonder if this is how it is supposed to go. I almost feel like something could be wrong. But how would we know if it was?_

"You're getting into your head again," Kenpachi said suddenly.

Byakuya startled at noting that his golden counterpart was lying on the bed beside him.

"You do that a lot."

"When one is tasked with great responsibility, some amount of worry is normal, even expected. It is critical that the reiatsu be placed and rendered properly or the…"

"Yeah," Kenpachi interrupted, "I know all of that. But I don't think the powers that be woulda picked us if we weren't up to the job, do you?"

Byakuya gazed back at him quietly for a moment.

"I suppose you are right," he answered, breathing slowly through a nagging pain that radiated in his belly.

"You need another belly rub?" Kenpachi asked.

"I will be fine," Byakuya yawned, lying down and turning away to look at the falling rain.

Some part of him registered that Kenpachi wasn't leaving the bed, and that his comrade was watching him with curious eyes.

"Is this making you miss Hisana?" he asked, startling the noble with the question.

Byakuya turned to look back at Kenpachi.

"I always miss my wife," he replied solemnly, "These days that we have been here mark the only days since her death that I have not both visited her grave and prayed for her at the family shrine."

"Not like you have a choice, being up here with me like this."

"No," Byakuya agreed.

"I figured that was one reason why you've been snapping at me. It must be hard to not be able to honor her the way you want to," Kenpachi commented.

Byakuya frowned.

"It is interesting to hear you speak of honor in that way," the noble replied, "For one who comes from a place where things like honor are rare."

"There's honor and respect in the low Rukongai," Kenpachi corrected him, "It's just that we express it differently than you princes and princesses do."

"Oh?" Byakuya inquired curiously, "How is that? Are you making a reference to having killed Unohana taicho in cold blood? Is this your idea of honor?"

Kenpachi huffed out an amused breath.

"Well, I didn't really want to kill her, but that's the way the Kenpachi tradition works. You know about traditions."

"I do," Byakuya agreed, his frown deepening, "and I know that not all traditions are good ones."

"Good…bad," Kenpachi sighed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "It's all relative. If you kill a bad guy, it's good. Killing a good guy is bad. Killing a Kenpachi is how you become the next Kenpachi. Yachiru was happy to die that way. You should've seen the shit-eating grin on her face as she died."

Byakuya gave him a discomfited look.

"I think I am glad I was spared the honor," he said, shaking his head, "I prefer to remember that she was a skilled healer and a kind person."

"But you know that, deep down, she was a bloodthirsty killer, just like me," Kenpachi reminded him, "You must have been told her history. I know your family is in charge of keeping the Seireitei's history. Old man Yama woulda made sure that something like that got recorded in your archive, right?"

"He did," Byakuya admitted, "But I was hesitant to fully accept that the woman I knew had a side that was so…violent."

Kenpachi shrugged.

"She was keeping a low profile until I was ready to be raised."

"So, the person I knew was a lie?" Byakuya asked, feeling an odd touch of sadness at the thought.

"Naw, she could be a good person too. She didn't just go around killing anyone. Like me, she loved a challenge. She wanted a strong enemy to fight."

He studied Byakuya's troubled expression and smiled.

"Don't overcomplicate things," he advised his comrade, "She was good to you. She liked you. Remember her like that. And I'll remember that she was a beautiful swordsman and fighter."

"You have an interesting way of looking at things," Byakuya mused.

"Are you surprised?" Kenpachi asked in a teasing tone, "You think that us low Rukon rats are supposed to be simple?"

"I am finding that nothing is simple."

Kenpachi started to answer, then flinched uncomfortably and reached down to pull the king's prism out from within his clothing. Byakuya gazed intently at the prism, his mind troubled as he pondered the colorful facets. He felt the heaviness of the soul king's power as Kenpachi placed the prism in front of him and set his hands on either side, slowly drawing the raw reiatsu into himself.

"Does that hurt?" he asked.

His gold enshrouded companion gave no answer. His golden eyes remained completely focused on the prism and the power continued to flow out and into Kenpachi's massive body.

 _I did not really need to ask if the exchange was painful. I know it is. He is suffering great pain when he draws out the king's reiatsu for rendering. When this process ends, it is likely that he will suffer serious aftereffects, as I will also. I know that he was given no choice, just the same as me, but…when I see him suffering to bring balance and peace back to our worlds, I feel…_

His thoughts were interrupted as the reiatsu collection was completed and Kenpachi set the prism on the nightstand. His head tilted back and he breathed in through his nose, then his head turned and his glazed, golden eyes fixed on the noble.

 _This is just the king's hunger, the king's need. It is not Kenpachi_ , he reminded himself as the golden man pinned him easily and opened his clothing, _I wonder if Kenpachi remembers anything after. I wonder if he feels anything about what he is being used to do to me. I did notice when we were talking and when he was comforting me that he was extremely aroused. Oddly, though Kenpachi is usually very direct about such things, he did not use the opportunity to tease me about it or to ask me for anything in return for the comfort he was giving me._

 _I am curious._

He reached up and cupped his hands around the golden skinned man as Kenpachi's fingers impatiently worked at preparing him, then the bigger man's hand pushed his thighs apart. This time, Byakuya focused on his comrade's eyes and moved with him, trying to evoke some sort of connection with Kenpachi. His spirits sank slightly at the cold, impersonal look he received in return as the forces within the prism controlled Kenpachi's powerful movements. Byakuya loosed an unhappy sigh, closing his eyes and bracing inwardly as Kenpachi's body stiffened, then shuddered, releasing the torrent of fiery reiatsu into Byakuya's shaking body.

 _It seems to grow more powerful and forceful every time we are together. Normally, I would rely on my own strength to endure, but I am without anything, just a receptacle to capture and render this power, shaping it into the new king. I do not understand. Why us? I can understand Kenpachi being chosen to draw the reiatsu. Whoever does that must be powerful. But, why me? I have power equal to Kenpachi's, but that is lost here. I have a loyalty to the king. Maybe that is the reason. But it just seems that anyone could…_

He realized suddenly that Kenpachi's golden eyes were looking down into his, and he felt an icy shaft of fear, realizing that the former kings were studying him closely.

 _Why?_

 _Are they disappointed?_

 _Am I doing something wrong?_

The bigger man's eyes blinked and he began to regain his awareness. Kenpachi woke to find himself still on top of Byakuya and joined with his body.

"S-sorry, Kuchiki, I'll just…" he began, starting to pull free of the noble.

He was frozen in place and struck dumb as Byakuya tightened his thighs around Kenpachi and sought his mouth for a hard, penetrating kiss.

"What was that for?" Kenpachi mused, looking into Byakuya's piqued eyes, "I thought you didn't like me."

"I do not like some things about you," Byakuya answered, "Just like you do not like some things about me. But…we are in this together."

Byakuya kissed him again and moved his hips slightly, earning a aroused groan from his golden comrade.

"You shouldn't do that," Kenpachi warned him, "Even though I just ejaculated, it was the king's reiatsu, not my own seed. I'm horny right now, and I'm not going to be able to turn you down if you tease me."

"I am not teasing," Byakuya said, frowning and pushing his hips upward to grind against Kenpachi's, "We may be the king's pawns, but we are also people with our own needs. If you do not want to make love to me, then feel free to say no."

Kenpachi grinned devilishly and moved with the noble.

"Well, I'm already here," he chuckled, nuzzling under Byakuya's soft, silver hair to nip at his vulnerable throat.

He made a deeper sound of arousal and moved his hips more urgently, smiling wickedly at how Byakuya's movements increased in intensity to match his.

"Damn, Kuchiki! I think my dick's gonna melt!"

He panted harshly, sweat misting on his forehead as their virulent movements brought the two to a thunderous climax. Kenpachi's reiatsu swelled around his golden form, glowing brightly as he groaned and loosed his release.

Byakuya's teeth gritted as he awaited the heavy burning that the exchange of king's reiatsu usually gave him. A sound of surprise escaped him at the feelings of warmth and connection that blossomed between the two of them. The two indulged in a barrage of enthusiastic kisses, then dropped off into a long, contented slumber, curled around each other. Byakuya was cognizant for only a moment as he felt the king's presence touch his sleeping mind.

 _You need to be cautious_ , the king warned him, _Your heart is critical to the making of my new form. It would not be good if it was broken._

Byakuya opened his eyes and fixed them on the man snoring noisily in his arms.

"If my heart was broken," he whispered, "But…Kenpachi seems…"

He felt an icy twinge in his insides as he reached out and touched his comrade's sleeping face.

 _What was the king telling me?_

 _Could he have been warning me…that Kenpachi could die?_


	5. Rain

**Chapter 5: Rain**

 **(Have to run, but wanted to get this out before leaving for the day. Love going out to all of you Kenny/Bya fans. More is on the way! Cheers, Spunky)**

Byakuya woke to find himself alone in the large, soft bed, wrapped warmly in blankets and still catching breaths of Kenpachi's strong, but oddly pleasant masculine scent. He laid still, listening for a time, then he took a deeper breath and sat up. Almost immediately, his ears began to ring loudly and he fell back against the pillows, watching the white ceiling spin dizzyingly over him. Nausea assaulted his insides and he staggered to his feet, barely making it into the bathroom before falling to his knees and emptying himself violently.

 _I wonder why I even bother to eat_ , he mused dryly.

He waited until the feeling of illness had passed, then returned to the bedroom, where he demolished several helpings of food. He was certain that as soon as he was finished, Kenpachi would arrive for the next mating. To his surprise, he heard no sound of the eleventh division taicho approaching.

 _I can't even sense him anymore. I would have no idea if he simply disappeared._

 _And a few days ago, I wouldn't have cared._

He left the bed and moved to the balcony doors, where he stood, watching the gentle rain falling outside.

 _Everything here is coming back to life. Why do I not feel like I am a part of what is being renewed? Being chosen to host the king's growing soul is an honor very few will ever have. I just…cannot seem to feel that sense of honor. I should welcome my king's touch and the sound of his voice. I shouldn't quiver when he is in control of Kenpachi and he touches me. But unlike that time when Kepachi and I made love of our own free will, the joinings with the king are horrid, emotionless occurrences. He never shows any sign of connection with me, nor does he offer any comfort. Maybe he is unable to do so. Perhaps his state of being is so different than mine that he simply cannot understand. It leaves me feeling so empty, I just long for the mating to end so that Kenpachi's eyes and face return to looking more lifelike. I would have cringed before at admitting it, but Kenpachi is surprisingly adept at sensing what I need most, and while I am weak like this, he offers me the support I need without his usual jibes. There is much more to this man than I realized._

 _I think…_

Byakuya's thoughts stilled and his body stiffened for a moment as the door to his room slammed open and Kenpachi flash stepped across the room and grabbed him roughly. He yielded easily, wrapping his arms around the bigger man's shoulders as he was lifted and carried back to the bed and, rather than just dropping him, the transitional king tumbled down with him. The hands that bared him clenched and shook oddly, and when he sought the man's golden eyes, he felt a shaft of fear cut through him.

 _Something is wrong!_

Kenpachi's gilded body heaved and shook with strain. Flickers of light escaped around his eyes and from under his finger and toenails, and he groaned in distress.

"B-byakuya!"

The pained gasp was more than ample warning of what was coming.

Byakuya turned and coaxed the distressed man down onto his back, mounting him quickly and moving his hips as Kenpachi moaned and writhed fitfully beneath him. Hot flashes of feral reiatsu burned around the two, and Byakuya felt the scathing warning of the danger they were facing.

"Sh-shit!" Kenpachi gasped his voice a mingling of his own and the transitional king's, "I don't know if I can…I don't wanna kill you!"

Byakiya glared down into his partner's golden eyes and moved his hips more urgently.

"We were chosen for our durability," he said calmly, "Place the reiatsu, Kenpachi."

"Hah…ah, fuck! Fuck!" the bigger man panted, "It's too goddamned much. It'll hurt you!"

Byakuya's silver eyes flashed with fury and his voice hissed dangerously in Kenpachi's golden ear.

"Don't you dare insult me by insinuating I am not up to the task of bearing the king's reiatsu! I was chosen for this! Now, place the damned reiatsu, Kenpachi!"

"W-wait!"

Byakuya's hand moved suddenly, delivering a stinging slap to the gilded man's face and making him blink in surprise as his quaking body was overcome. The explosion of reiatsu shattered the windows in the room and sent shockwaves out and into the hallways and other rooms, sending things crashing to the floor and cracking the walls and ceiling. Byakuya felt the seething heat explode inside him, and white fire blinded him for a moment as his body struggled to contain the power. Kenpachi went still beneath him, holding Byakuya against his chest and shaking more softly as he watched the noble fight to hold his challenged body together.

"I got you," he panted, a strange burning filling his golden eyes, "I got you, Kuchiki."

The silvery light burned blindingly around the noble, licking hungrily at his skin until it seemed he might just be incinerated. But just when the outcome seemed inevitable, Byakuya's teeth unclenched and his eyes began to calm as the forces in his body stabilized. Kenpachi's hands moved immediately to rub his belly gently as the noble crashed down onto the bed beside him and swiftly lost consciousness.

"You're okay now," he rumbled, more to reassure himself than to soothe the unconscious man beneath his hands, "Sorry. I dunno what happened. The reiatsu was rougher than it has been until now."

The big man's hands glowed brightly, lighting his face as he looked down worriedly at Byakuya.

"Hang in there, all right? Don't want you dying on us now, Kuchiki. It won't be much longer."

His hand curved around the noble's lovely silver face and he leaned down to kiss Byakuya's sweating forehead.

"I promise I'm gonna be nicer to you after all this shit is over. No teasing you about bein' a princess. No fucking princess could do what you're doing. I always knew you were tough. Pretty and tough. That's what I like best about you."

"Sh-shut up, you moron," Byakuya huffed weakly, "I am fine. You can stop fussing over me now."

"Eh, you heard all that, huh?" Kenpachi asked, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "I thought you were passed out."

"I was only unconscious for a moment, then I woke to find you going on as though I was some injured child."

He sat up slowly, holding onto the bigger man's arm.

"Disgraceful!"

"That's the stuffy little princess I remember," Kenpachi said, grinning and patting the noble's scowling face.

"You said you…"

Kenpachi shrugged.

"Heat of the moment."

"You're reprehensible."

Kenpachi's smile warmed, sending an odd feeling of connection through Byakuya's chest that radiated shockingly in his loins. The noble was surprised into stillness and gentle compliance as his golden partner's lips sought his and caressed them affectionately.

"And you're fucking beautiful."

"I am not forgiving you for that horrendous display," Byakuya said coldly, "Were you trying to completely obliterate me?"

"It's not my goddamned fault. I don't control how much stuff comes out of the prism. I just gather it and plant it. It's your job to render it, remember?"

"I hadn't forgotten," Byakuya said dryly.

He reached a hand down to rub his belly, then paused and looked more closely. He frowned and touched the much bigger bump that had formed, scowling as Kenpachi's rakish laugh rattled his already frazzled nerves.

"Pumped you up like a basketball there, didn't we? You know, you'd look really cute, all knocked up with our kids."

Byakuya's silver eyes flashed and his reiatsu sizzled threateningly.

"I did not just hear you say that!" he snarled.

"Hey, take it easy," Kenpachi laughed, regaining his more casual demeanor as the danger passed, "I was giving you a compliment."

"That is nothing compared to what I will give you if you ever insult me like that again! Your insistence on constantly comparing me to women is…!"

"HEY!" Kenpachi yelled, grabbing the front of the noble's open yukata and dragging him closer, "shut up, all right? I know you're not a woman. And before we came here, that used to matter to me. But the more time we spend here, the more I see you're not like any woman. You're more beautiful than any woman. You're good in a fight. You're down and dirty when we're arguing and you're so good in bed that it makes me feel like crying after I've been with you! So, get your goddamned nose outta the air, come down off your fuckin' high horse and just make love to me, okay? A few more minutes of foreplay and I'm gonna go off, in you or outta you, get it?"

"F-foreplay?" Byakuya repeated in a stunned tone as he was taken down onto the bed and his flustered mouth invaded forcibly.

"Yeah, foreplay," Kenpachi panted, doing a hasty job of preparing him, "You know all the tough talk just makes me hard. Used to be that it made me hard for fighting. But fighting with you like we do, all I wanna do is make that pretty body of yours shimmy on mine."

"Y-you…!"

Byakuya's words were stopped by another bout of fevered kisses.

"I love you, Kuchiki."

"You do not!"

"Yeah, I do."

"You're out of your mind!" the noble insisted.

But when the bigger man's hand touched his thigh, he blushed at how quickly he spread his legs in answer. His mind seemed to fill with blinding white light and he lost all ability to think clearly. Still, he felt the rough slide of the other man's fingers along his inner thigh and the heat of Kenpachi's golden flesh as he moved closer and positioned himself.

"I don't know if you'll ever let me touch you again when we go home," Kenpachi breathed into his ear as he joined their bodies, so I won't plan on it happening. I'm just glad you're letting me do it to you here."

"I-it is just the mating ritual," Byakuya managed, trying to sound cold and distant, but failing completely, "Do not think that…"

"I'm not thinking anything, sweetheart," Kenpachi purred, moving his hips and sending scandalously lovely tickles of pleasure through his silver companion's undulating form, "nothing but enjoying how this feels…being with you this way. Y'know, I'm glad now that we were picked to do this, and not because of the sex. I never got to know you like this, Kuchiki."

Byakuya looked back at him wordlessly, unable to say anything as the heat and rush of arousal overpowered him. He surrendered to a heavy flurry of jarring thrusts, almost howling with delight as the coil in his belly snapped viciously sending him tumbling headlong into a furious release. He clung tightly to Kenpachi's muscular body, reeling at how firmly the other man was holding him too. He closed his eyes, reveling in the blazing warmth that filled him and unable anymore to deny what he was sure he was supposed to.

"Felt good, didn't it?" Kenpachi drawled breathlessly, "I got to you?"

Byakuya didn't answer right away. Instead, he continued to look steadily into the bigger man's gilded eyes and his fingers brushed at the moisture on his face.

"Sorry," Kenpachi apologized, "I probably kinda stink."

"Since when are you worried about offending me?" Byakuya sighed in a strangely casual tone.

"I should go and clean up."

"Don't you dare move," Byakuya warned him, tracing his lips with a graceful fingertip.

Kenpachi gave a little, rough giggle.

"Y'know, if I don't get outta ya', we might end up doing it again."

Byakuya let out a soft, dismissive breath.

"Do you hear me complaining?" he asked, arching a fine eyebrow.

"What's in your head, Kuchiki?" the bigger man mused, "One second you talk like you can't stand me, and the next you're threatening me if I try to leave. Which way do you want it? You're kinda confusing me."

"Then, you and I are on the same page," Byakuya concluded.

"Yeah," Kenpachi laughed, "neither one of us knows what the hell we're doing here."

He let out a low growl as Byakuya's slender hands slid down his back and caressed his soft, round bottom.

"You really don't know when to stop, do you?" he snickered, "You're a glutton for punishment, sweetcheeks."

"Please do not ever call me that again."

Kenpachi's face came closer and he moved his hips, making Byakuya flinch and gasp in reaction. He licked and suckled the noble's soft earlobe, rubbing against him until the two were aroused again. The two men closed their eyes, keeping their movements slow and deep as the feeling of arousal grew stronger and more insistent. Their hands touched each other's faces caressing tenderly as they kissed and nipped at each other's lips. The gentler touches gave way to firmer handling, then to clenching as they writhed harder and faster together. Brightly colored lights seemed to explode in front of their eyes as the two climaxed together and descended into a flurry of finishing kisses.

Kenpachi dragged himself free of Byakuya's body and collapsed beside him, panting hard and smiling so that his face hurt.

"That was amazing, princess," he said so affectionately that Byakuya couldn't even register his usual disdain at the feminine designation, "You are fucking amazing!"

"You are surprisingly enjoyable when you cease taunting me and use that body for something other than beating things to death."

"That may be the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Kenpachi giggled, snuggling closer and running his long tongue up the side of Byakuya's sweating throat, "Damn, if even your sweat don't taste good!"

"Do not patronize me," Byakuya huffed softly, lacing his damp fingers together with the bigger man's, "I smell just as awful as you right now. It is just the pheromones that are confusing our senses so that we are not repulsed by it. We need to get up and shower."

Kenpachi nodded and climbed out of the bed.

"I'll get it started," he offered.

Byakuya nodded and sat up more slowly, sliding the sheet down so that he could look again at the large bump on his abdomen. He tried to imagine it being a real child and found his mind overtaken by a gripping image of walking in Kuchiki Manor's serene gardens with his hand in Kenpachi's and his belly sticking out in front of him. His normal anger at such a thought refused to come to the fore, and all he could think of was how beautiful it would feel, knowing that it was a real child, not just a being who would leave his body and cease to care about him.

 _But I do care, Byakuya_ , the king's voice whispered into his mind, _I wasn't able to, at first, because I was just a collection of reiatsu. Your interactions with Zaraki Kenpachi have taught me how to connect with others. It is an important skill I must have, if I am to be a capable monarch. I am learning a great deal from you and Kenpachi…and now, I am able to tell you._

 _Thank you, Byakuya._

 _And I am sorry for the hurt I am causing you. I promise that it won't be much longer, and you will be able to go home and pursue your own life again. You have proven yourself to be a loyal and devoted noble servant._

Byakuya sucked in a surprised breath and felt tears sliding onto his cheeks. He heard Kenpachi exit the bathroom and the sound of his feet suddenly stopping.

"Kuchiki?"

 _I don't know what is wrong with me. I thought I had too much pride to cry in front of that man. But the king's words…they cut a path right through my heart. I didn't understand before, and I thought he was being cold. The truth is, he just didn't know. And now that he knows, he is sorry and he is feeling pain too. Pain, gratitude, remorse. We are making a good king._

 _I just wonder if we will really survive the process._

 _He said I would, but what was the meaning of his warning before?_

Kenpachi's arm wrapped around his shoulders, and the bigger man helped him to his feet and guided him towards the bathroom.

"C'mon, you'll feel better after a hot shower," Kenpachi mumbled worriedly.

He barely held back a sob as, steps from the shower, Kenpachi stiffened, and the two felt the call of the king's prism.

"You gonna be all right?" Kenpachi asked anxiously.

Byakuya nodded and wiped at his eyes.

"Go."

"You sure?"

"I will be fine now. Go, Kenpachi."

He bit his lip gently, a little sweet ache gripping his heart at the regretful expression the other man wore as he turned and walked away.


End file.
